Saturday, March 18, 2017

This is Joe B.'s son and daughter posting on his blog. Dad passed away peacefully on March 8, 2017. It was a sunny day in Arlington and the daffodils were in bloom. Dad was a wonderful father and husband and we all miss him dearly.

Since our mother passed away, he was given solace and some measure of joy by following a New Orleans street band called Tuba Skinny. If you follow this blog, you will of course know this already since he often posted their youtube videos.

We wrote to Tuba Skinny after Dad passed, sharing his story and thanking them for being so kind to him. A highlight of the last few years for him was going to Glen Echo Park in Washington D.C. to see Tuba Skinny perform. He got to meet Erika and Shaye and to hear them in action. He stayed out really late and had a fantastic time.

Shaye and Erika were kind enough to respond to our emails, sending their condolences. And then, much to our surprise and delight, they recorded a spiritual in Joe's honor. The band had just finished a tour and were in Wisconsin on St. Patrick's Day. We are going to share this video here and also at Dad's memorial service today in Alexandria at 1pm at the Cunningham Turch Funeral Home at 811 Cameron Street.

THANK YOU TUBA SKINNY.

Adrian & Lorelei Stewart

Here is Shaye's email:

Hello, this is Shaye from Tuba Skinny. Thank you for your kind emails. We have recorded a spiritual in memory of Joe Stewart and posted it on YouTube. Please enjoy.

-Shaye

And Erika's email:

I'm so sorry to hear about your dad. I know him through the many emails and kind words he sent to us over the years. He was a great supporter of us and passionate music lover, as you know. I recall him at the show at Glen Echo with a big warm smile on his face. Thanks for writing.